Drill pipe protector



Aug. 5, 1941.. w. G. L. SMITH DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR Filed Dec. 23, 1959 mi [mu g 0 F01? THL FIRM Arroeyzns.

Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PTENT DFFIQE DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR Walter G. L. Smith, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 23, 1939, Serial No. 310,714

Claims.

This invention relates to a pipe protector for use on the drill pipes of a deep well drilling apparatus to obviate wear of the well casing and drill pipe when they are brought into contact with each other during the drilling operation. Such contact may arise by reason of the deviation of the well from the vertical and the constant rotary and longitudinal movement of the drill pipe, or otherwise. Pipe protectors of the type to which this invention relates are cylindrical blocks, formed of ru'bber or other resilient material, provided with internally embedded reinforcing cylindrical metallic frames and are capable of being clamped tightly upon the drill pipe.

Cylindrical pipe protectors of this kind are made in semi-cylindrical halves hinged longitudinally along one side of the protector and separable along a longitudinal line on the -oppo site side so that the halves may be swung open about the axis of the hinge for removal from the drill pipe.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pipe protector of this type with means for yieldably urging the protector halves together at all times.

It is another object of this invention to pro vide a pipe protector of this type which may be spread by the use of tongs without injury to the resilient material of the protector.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pipe protector with a continuous unbroken pipe-contacting surface devoid of edges, corners, recesses, grooves, or surface breaks or other kinds at which wear or disintegration of the material might be initiated.

It is another object of the invention to provide a pipe protector with such a relative arrangement of the resilient material and the fastening devices that the protector may be many times removed and reapplied to the drill pipe without a loosening or separation of the resilient material from the reinforcing frame work.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pipe protector embodying my invention, with the resilient block partially broken away to show the construction of the reinforcing frame.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the pipe protector taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the right-hand frame ofmy device.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a tool suitable for use in removing a protector constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 5 is a View showing the tool in position for removing the protector from a drill pipe.

A pipe protector constructed in accordance with my invention consists primarily of an integral one piece cylindrical block ll, formed of rubber or other resilient material. The radially outer portion of this block H is divided at I2, and is formed at the place of division with two juxtaposed meeting faces l3 which extend the entire length of the protector and approximately half way radially inwardly from the exterior surface M through the thickness of the block. The block at this point of its circumference is also provided for the remainder of the radial distance to the interior surface ill, but is shaped to afford recesses i6 and I to extending for the length of the block for a purpose to be presently described. The block is thus separable at E2 and may be spread to afford an opening for removing the block from a drill pipe.

The block II is reinforced by two semi-cylindrical frames H and Ho which are positioned and embedded within the material of the block at the time it is molded, and .the bodies of these frames may be formed in any suitable manner, preferably being formed with one or more apertures is which during the molding operation become filled with rubber or other material which assists in uniting in immovable relationship the frame and the block.

Each frame I1 and [la is formed along one longitudinal terminal edge with a plurality of tongues ii} bent at their outer ends to provide hinge bearings 29. The bearings 20 of the two frames i7 and list are longitudinally staggered with respect to each other so that when the two frames are assembled in the manufacture of the pipe protector, these bearings are brought into aligned relationship for the reception of a hinge pin 2!. After the frames l! and tile are thus hinged together along one of their longitudinal terminal edges, and their other longitudinal terminal edges are brought into adjacent relationship at a point diametrically opposite the pin 21, they are suitably positioned in a mold. Rubber (not shown) or other resilient material is then placed in the mold and formed into a solid block about the frames completely enclosing the hinge bearings 2t and hinge pin 2! in a covering of such material extending entirely around the hinge bearings and also disposed between the ends of the hinge pin and the adjacent ends respectively of the block. The entire hinge structure is concealed from the view of the observer.

The portion 24 of the block H which is located adjacent to the hinge bearings 29, as indicated by the dotted lines E ia, is compressed when the protector is opened about the axis of the hinge pin 21, and tends to yieldably urge the two sides of the protector back to the closed position shown in Fig. 2.

Tongues 25 are formed on the frames H and Ila along their longitudinal terminal edges diametrically opposite the hinge pin 2 l, and are bent to form elongated loops 26 which are arranged with relation to each other in the same manner as the hinge bearings 23. When the block H is formed about the frames H and Ho, the operation is performed so as to leave the loops 26 exposed in the recesses It and Mia. This feature of the protector makes it convenient to insert a wedge pin 2'! within the loops or remove the pin therefrom. A strong force must be applied to remove or insert the wedge pin 2?, and the exposed arrangement of the loops 2 5 out of contact with the material of the block H both provides convenience of access and obviates any loosening or separation of the block from the metal of the loops, which might otherwise become a starting point for separation of the resilient material from the body of the frames H and I'ia and might otherwise create loose ends of the resilient material which could become caught by the drill pipe or other objects to pull portions of the block from the frames.

For removing one of these pipe protectors from a drill pipe it is convenient to use a tool such as the pair of tongs Zia. shown in Fig. 4. Hooks 28 i of the tongs 21a are inserted between the faces l3, and handles 29 are brought together, as

shown in Fig. 5, to Spread the pipe protector a sufiicient distance to enable it to be removed from the drill pipe 300.. It will be observed that during this operation the resilient material at 24 resiliently opposes the spreading action of the tongs 21a, a reaction which serves to maintain engagement of the tongs with the protector during the act of removal and also during the act of replacing the protector on the same or another drill pipe. The resilient reaction of the material at 2 also causes the protector to take an initial grip on the drill pipe when the protector is being placed thereon, preventing longitudinal displacement of the protector with respect to the drill pipe as the tongs are disengaged from the protector or as the wedge pin 2? is being driven into place.

Longitudinally arranged angle iron bars 30 are preferably welded to the frames H and Na adjacent the faces [3 to reinforce portions (H of the block II against the compressive action of the hooks 28 of the tongs during removal and replacement of the pipe protector from the drill pipe. Due to the action of the resilient mate rial at 24, the material at 3! is subjected to a heavy compressive force by the hooks 28 which would tear and mutilate the block were it not for the stiffening and reinforcing effect of the bars 30.

It will be observed a pipe protector constructed in accordance with this invention presents continuous unbroken internal and external surfaces of resilient material free of any grooves, breaks, or other interruptions except at the split surfaces l3, which might serve a the starting point of disintegration. This same characteristic of surface continuity in the region of the hinge structure also affords the closing resilient action which prevents the pipe protector from accidentally dropping from the tongs and gives the pipe protector an initial grip upon the drill pipe as the tongs are being removed and as the wedge pin is being driven into place to finally and firmly secure the protector upon the drill pipe.

It is apparent that modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawing without departing from the spirit of this invention The invention is defined in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A pipe protecting collar, comprising: two semi-cylindrical metal frames, one of said frames being pivotally connected along one of its longitudinal terminal edges to the other of said frames along one of its longitudinal terminal edges in a manner to permit said frames being swung apart about the axis of said connection to receive a pipe; releasable means for securing together said frames at their other longitudinal terminal edges; and non-metallic means secured to said frames for contacting a surrounding pipe including resilient means disposed to be elastically deformed when said frames are swung apart to yieldably urge said frames together about said pivotally connected edges, said non-metallic means being non-continuous between said releasably securable edges.

2. A pipe protecting collar, comprising: two semi-cylindrical frames, one of said frames being pivotally connected along one of its longitudinal terminal edges to the other of said frames along one of its longitudinal terminal edges in a manner to permit said frames being swung apart about the axis of said connection to receive a pipe; releasable means for securing together said frames along their other longitudinal terminal edges; and a cylindrical block of resilient material formed about said frames to present surfaces disposed to contact a surrounding pipe and to constitute resilient means disposed to be elastically deformed when said frames are swung apart to yieldably urge said frames together about said pivotally connected edges said block being noncontinuous between said releasably securable edges.

3. A pipe protecting collar, comprising: two semi-cylindrical frames, one of said frames being pivotally connected along one of its longitudinal terminal edges to the other of said frames along one of its longitudinal terminal edges in a manner to permit said frames being swung apart about the axis of said connection to receive a pipe; releasable means for securing said frames together along their other longitudinal terminal edges; and a rubber cylindrical block molded about said frame, said block being shaped to present a continuous unbroken exterior surface extending from a longitudinal line adjacently parallel to said securable edges when the frames are in closed position around and outside of said pivotally connected edges back to said longitudinal line, to present an interior surface to contact an encircled pipe, and also to present longitudinally arranged meeting faces adjacent said securable frame edges and intersecting said exterior surface, said meeting faces substantially contacting each other when said securable terminal edges are secured to ether.

4. A pipe protecting collar, comprising: two semi-cylindrical frames, one of said frames-being pivotally connected along one of its longitudinal terminal edges to the other of said frames along one of its longitudinal terminal edges in a manner to permit said frames being swung apart about the axis of said connection to receive a pipe; releasable means for securing said frames together along their other longitudinal terminal edges; a rubber cylindrical block molded about said frame, said block being shaped to present a continuous unbroken exterior surface extending from a line adjacently parallel to one of said securable edges around and outside of said pivotally connected edges to a line adjacent the other of said securable edges; and also to present longitudinally arranged juxtaposed faces adjacently parallel to said securable frame edges and intersecting said exterior surface; and a pair of longitudinally arranged bars rigidly secured to said frames respectively, each of said bars being embedded in said block radially displaced from and outside of said frame and adjacently parallel to one of said juxtaposed faces.

5. A pipe protecting collar, comprising: two semi-cylindrical frames, one of said frames being pivotally connected along a first one of its longitudinal terminal edges to the other of said frames along a first one of its longitudinal terminal edges in a manner to permit said frames being swung apart about the axis of said connection to receive a pipe; two overlapping sets of aligned loops integrally formed on said frames at the second longitudinal terminal edges of said frames respectively, the loops of one frame being longitudinally staggered with respect to the loops of the other frame; a wedge pin for insertion within said loops to secure said frames together; and a rubber cylindrical block molded about said frames, said block being shaped to present a continuous, unbroken, exterior, pipe-contacting surface Without said frames, and continuous unbroken, interior, pipe-contacting surface within said frames, each said surface extending from a line adjacently parallel to one of said second terminal edges to a line adjacently parallel to the other of said second terminal edges, the juxtaposed longitudinal edges of said block at said second terminal edges being shaped to provide across the radially outer portion of said block longitudinally disposed, substantially contacting meeting faces extending radially inwardly from said exterior surface to said loops, and further to provide across the radially inner and remaining portion of said block juxtaposed longitudinally extending recesses in which said loops are disposed.

WALTER G. L. SMITH. 

